Sunday, January 31, 2016

Nothing spells summer like Sunflowers. Big or little their golden heads look up towards the sun and brighten the day of anyone who looks upon them.One of the easiest flowers to grow, every garden should have at least one variety of sunflower. They range from small enough to grow in containers to enormous enough to be a considered a giant!

Photo by Helen

I grow some every year and am partial to the small variety called Sunsation. They flower earlier in the season and their sunny heads are a welcome sight in my backyard. These little beauties work well in a good size pot. Just give them a good quality potting mix and a little love and attention and they will perform for you over the next few weeks.

You can plant the seeds direct into the soil or like me grow them in punnets first to plant out later. If growing direct into the garden know that they will survive in most soils but of course the better the soil is, the better the performance of the plant.

Photo by Helen

The one thing sunflowers don't like, is to have wet feet, so it's good to make sure that your soil is free draining. Other than that they don't need too much attention. Just regular watering, especially during very hot weather. Although these babies are fairly tough and will stand up to dryer conditions.

Photo by Helen

If you are going to grow the tall varieties, then of course you must put into place some sort of support for them.Now having already said that they will grow in most soils, the poorer your soil the smaller the flowers may well be. If you put a bit of effort into preparing your soil and making sure you're giving them a good start, then they should reward you with lovely big blooms.So whatever size your garden is, you should have space for one sort of sunflower. Go on plant yourself some sunshine this summer!

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About Me

Helen is a fiction writer,
Her work has appeared in both e-zines and printed publications and she is the author of three Novellas.
She loves to grow things and spending time getting her hands dirty in the garden. She also enjoys playing with tarot cards and you can find her either at her gardening blog Helen Digs It! or her writing blog Painting Pictures with Words, or Helen H's Tarot Blog.